Panda-Huggers and Dragon-Slayers: How to View Modern China Today

Publisher： National Council for the Social Studies

ISSN： 0037-7724

Source： Social Education, Vol.74, Iss.1, 2010-01, pp. : 9-11

Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.

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Abstract

Are you a panda-hugger or a dragon-slayer? In case you are unfamiliar with the terminology, these are the phrases used to describe two different kinds of China-watchers, and increasingly, two different types of people in the general public. A panda-hugger is someone who says that almost everything going on in China is good, that China's progress is a great thing for the world, and that any problems are peripheral. A dragon-slayer is someone who says the situation in China is terrible, that China is a threat to the world, and that any positive developments are just window-dressing. These two extreme positions have long characterized those who view China from the outside; and perhaps one of those positions describes you. The point about China today, though, is that it has become infinitely more complex than it ever was before, and being either a panda-hugger or a dragon-slayer is becoming increasingly untenable.